Pairing Rogue’s Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

In a world, dominated by bacon, one beer stands alone against the odds…ok, I know, without Mr. Movie Voice Don LaFontaine saying it the words are just ridiculous!

The truth remains though that we do live “in a world” that is gone bonkers for bacon, and it shows in the endless amounts of bacon products out there. From bacon gum to bacon lip balm, this delicious meat has been “hogging” the market like…well, like a pig.

Nothing seems to be safe from the insatiable appetite of this particular creature, and it was only a matter of time before bacon got its greasy little strips wrapped around a bottle of suds.

Voodoo Doughnuts has been a fixture in Portland, Oregon for quite a while. With a product line consisting of a wide range of unique treats, Voodoo Doughnuts has captured a niche market with doughnuts adorned with non-traditional toppings such as, to name just a few, Captain Crunch, Froot Loops, grape dust and lavender sprinkles, as well as their most famous doughnut: the maple bacon bar.

Being exactly how it sounds, this doughnut is a traditional maple bar with the addition of a couple of fried up strips of delicious bacon on top!

Another well established Oregon business is Rogue Brewery, which has teamed up with Voodoo Doughnuts to create a Bacon Maple Ale for those beer aficionados with a sense of adventure!

As soon as the cap was popped off, the sweet smell of maple permeated the atmosphere. The intense smokiness of the brew left a taste sensation more likened to an über salty ham rather than bacon. A strong maple syrupy taste appears at the finish. This is a beer truly as unique as the company that inspired it, unique all the way down to the pink bottle it comes in.

Maple and bacon: synonymous with breakfast. And who am I to trifle with entrenched ideas about early morning “nutrition?”

I paired this odd albeit unique beer with a Bird’s Nest, which is essentially toasted bread with a hole cut out in the middle (like a doughnut!) with an egg cooked in the middle of the toast. After the Bird’s Nest came out of the oven, I added a touch of maple syrup to it to compliment the beer.

My initial thought for this breakfast pairing was that it would function as a nice “Hair of the Dog,” instead I got a “Not by the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin.”

The beer is very overpowering with the smokiness. It contains Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt, as well as House-Smoked Hickory Malt, so tread lightly. I recommend drinking this one in small doses and take it as the unique quirky brew it is meant to be.

Needless to say, I won’t be “pigging” out on this pork-based product; it’s definitely not for everyone, but I am glad I tried it!

Has anybody else tried this? Let me know what you think! And please let me know of any other extra “unique” beers that you readers have had!

About Ryan Van Brunt

Ryan is from Vancouver, Washington, a mere stone’s throw away from Portland, Oregon. Along with a love of craft beer and writing, he's a sucker for 80’s movies, hair metal, and most all other pop-culture.

I tried this beer a few months back at the Hoppy Monk here in El Paso, but I paired it with a burger they call the Blue Fox, which has cider poached pears, blue cheese sauce and a walnut aioli. It complimented this burger very well, but I have to agree that after a while, I wanted to finish so I could order something else, the smoke was very strong and I lost the bacon/maple flavor after a bit. Happy I tried it though.